Week 58 - A Living Church

Bonjour!

Last week I mentioned some changes that were announced in General Conference, which I am super pumped for. Implentation of those changes will happen over the next few months, and I'm excited to see how the Saints benefit. The Nampa South Stake, the stake I serve in, decided to jump on board with the change idea though, and made a new ward yesterday! The new ward took pieces from a couple of our other wards, so there was some expected crying and sadness as people were moved out of the ward they've attended for so many years. But to me, it all testifies that this is a living, breathing church. There's a living, breathing God that leads it!

This week we had many opportunities to minister to missionaries and to people the missionaries are teaching. I've given more priesthood blessings this week than ever before, which is a great feeling. We did a couple of exchanges with some Elders that have some tough stuff going on in their lives. I feel blessed to be in a position to provide some comfort and love in times like that.

We also had MLC this week, which is my favorite meeting! About 6 months ago, I suggested to the MLC that we could pray as a mission at a predetermined time every night for our monthly baptismal goal. The goal that month was 32, so the whole mission prayed at 9:32 every night for our goal. We've continued doing that every night for the past 6 months, and it's been really unifying. This month, we've decided to take it a step further. We're now inviting every member in our mission boundaries to pray with us too! So that's probably around fifty thousand people (rough estimate) all praying for one purpose! It gets me pretty excited. I'd like to extend that invitation to anyone that's still reading at this point. Our mission goal this month is 25 baptisms. I know prayer works!

Love, 

Elder Doyle

Most Sunday nights we visit with a bunch of youth from church and any friends they want to invite!

Last night I ended up doing a little unplanned concert!

Week 57 - Nampa!

Happy P-Day!

 General Conference was AWESOME! If you didn't get a chance to watch it, I would highly encourage you to do so. And if you did watch it, I would highly encourage you to follow the invitations and commandments of the Lord! The blessings of doing so will be enormous, I just know it. I also know that the changes that have been made to the Sunday schedule will benefit us if we put intentional effort into bettering our homes and families. If you have no idea what I'm talking about at this point, go to lds.org

It's been a wonderful first week in Nampa with Elder Mumford! He's from South Carolina, and we actually have some mutual friends, plus a bunch of common interests, so we've been able to connect really well. The members of the church here are so supportive of the missionaries. I've never been fed so much! We live with Brother Marshall (Bromar) and he spoils us way too much! I'm not too familiar with the people we're teaching yet, but I'm excited to work with them and hopefully help them progress in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So there ain't much meat to this email! Still kinda getting my bearings here. But again, I encourage you to watch/listen to/read the talks from General Conference. And then do it again. And keep doing it until next Conference. You can take eating and sleeping breaks if necessary.

Love ya, 

Elder Doyle

Week 56 - Final Pics from Weiser

Sometimes you just feel the need to dress up like ancient apostles, ya know?

District hike up in McCall, ID last Monday

Elder St. Peter: "How mad would you be if I left your window rolled down during the car wash?"

Me: "that wouldn't be much fun."

*the window jams*

Me: "okay we're about to go in! You can roll it up any time!"

Elder St. Peter: "No, I really can't!"

Dinner date with Washburn

 As suspicious as Elder Washburn looks, "we didn't start the fire."

Old companion as we say goodbye

New companion as we steal the sisters' bikes

Week 56 - Off to Nampa!

Happy Transfer Day!

We got word on Saturday that I'm being transferred to Nampa, Idaho to be companions with Elder Mumford! This will be my first time actually serving in the city that my mission is named after! I don't know Elder Mumford very well, but I'm excited to serve with him and work with the people of Nampa. 

It was a great week to end off my time in Weiser with Elder Washburn. We found some new people for Elder Washburn to teach with his new companion, and some people came to church that hadn't ever come before! We also had a great P-day on Monday and went on a few exchanges! So it was just an awesome week. I'll try sending a bunch of pictures to give you a little glimpse.

General Conference is this weekend! For those of you who don't know what that means, it's when we get to hear from modern-day prophets and apostles! Definitely one of my favorite times of the year, so I would invite any and all to tune in on the TV or online, Saturday and Sunday. 

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers!

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

Week 55 - Random Pics

Tom and Barbara's baptism

Pday last week (we had a flour war)

Weiser District Council

Week 54 - Miracles Have Not Ceased!

Happy Monday!!!

I always think it's funny to hear non-missionaries say comments like "oh no tomorrow is monday!" I remember when I used to say the same thing. But now I'm like "WAHOOOOO TOMORROW IS MONDAY!" It's funny how the mission changes you. 

Well it has been a fantastic week, as usual! Last Monday, we took a hike up in Baker City and it was gorgeous! I love going up there and actually seeing trees again! We had Zone Conference on Thursday in Nyssa, Oregon. Elder Washburn and I had to give a 20 minute training on Studying and Preparing to Teach, which sounded a tad bit boring. So we made a hilarious video with some help from a couple other Elders to spice things up. It was a big hit! I warned President Sorensen beforehand that the video might completely ruin his opinion of me. But he assured me with a smile on his face that his opinion of me can't sink any lower. I love that guy!

Friday was filled with teaching appointments, and they were amazing! We walked into a house to teach two families that live there, and found both moms basically bed-ridden with back pain and migraines. We explained and offered priesthood blessings, and they both accepted. All I'll say is that the lesson went wonderfully, the Spirit was super strong, almost everyone cried, and the two ladies walked us outside when it was time to go. 

Saturday was another amazing day! We got to see both Lala and Diego get baptized. Although we didn't teach him, I got to interview Diego for baptism, and his story blew me away. Hopefully I can keep it short. About a month and a half ago, Diego was released from jail. He had no one to pick him up and nowhere to go. So he just started walking. As he walked, he prayed that he could have the kind of life he always wanted. As he was praying and walking, a car pulled up and a man stepped out. That man happened to be Brother Ross, the Sunday School President in the Fruitland 3rd ward and the father of Diego's ex-girlfriend. He told Diego to get in the car, and he took him to his house. He set up a tent in the yard for Diego to stay in until he could get a real living situation figured out. That night, Brother Ross's 10 year old son Cooper slid a Book of Mormon under Diego's pillow. Diego found it, and read about 40 chapters that night. He felt something. So he went to church that Sunday. He felt something again. So he met with the missionaries and accepted the invitation to get baptized. Now fast-forward a month and a half: He married the Ross' daughter on Friday, then got baptized on Saturday. He never thought that his prayer on the side of the road would be answered so quickly and so perfectly. 

Love ya,

Elder Doyle 

Acting out Elder Washburn's favorite scripture story with some members the other night

A companionship that exercises together stays together.

Beautiful lake we visited last Monday!

Week 53 - Home on the Range

Howdy folks!

This week was a week full of meetings, and I surprisingly loved it! First up was the Mission Leadership Council, where the leaders in the mission meet for 6 hours to set goals for the whole mission. It's always been my favorite meeting out here ad it didn't disappoint! I especially love it when the Spirit testifies that the goals we set are really what God wants. Anyway, on Wednesday we went up to Baker City for a district council, and I bawled my eyes out. We watched the church's Bible Videos of Christ's Atonement, and they get me every time. It didn't help that one of my best friends out here on the mission, Elder Williams, went home that afternoon for back surgery. The next few days had a few more meetings, and we got to witness 3 wonderful baptisms on Saturday! 

Then we got to Sunday. Elder Washburn and I had been asked to speak in the Council Ward, and they allowed us to choose whatever topic we felt inspired to speak about. I had prepared and felt like I had a good talk ready, but when I woke up that morning, I had the strong impression that what I had prepared was not what God wanted me to share. So I scrapped my original talk and had faith that God would help out. We got to church and found out that we were the only two speakers, so "hopefully you have a lot prepared!" Elder Washburn did a great job, and then I walked up to the podium with nothing but a missionary pamphlet. And I can honestly say that was the most comfortable I've ever been giving a talk! My mouth was filled with the words God wanted me to speak. It was a miracle.

Well, love you all so much and I hope you can feel my love as well! Keep being a light o those around you.

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

 

We like to do the Weiser District Council "high on a mountain top."

 

Me and Elder Wheeler, one of my old companions. Couple more weeks until he goes home!

What do you do when no one showed up to fill the baptismal font? Go to a member's house and baptize them in a pool of course!